I emailed you last week telling you we will start reading the Lily Yeh, Awakening Creativity: Dandelion School Blossoms. There are three copies in B-12 that you can use. You can docscan the pages or read it there, but do not take them out of B-12. This is an interesting book. We will slowly go through it throughout the semester. Please make sure that you take time to read it because it will make sense as you progress through your practicum experience this semester. I docscanned the pages below and shared them with you with an invite from DropBox. You will have this and next week to answer my posted question from the readings below:
Foreword pp. 6-7
Preface p. 8
Chapter 1: My Development as an Artist pp. 10-21
The Foreword, pp. 6-7 talks about different models for choosing a career in art. The writer states that Lily Yeh uses her skills to work with broken people in broken spaces. How did you related to this two page intro?What can we take from this as future art teachers?
ReplyDeletePost your reply to this question here. I'm noticing that the people she is writing about are migrant workers in China. And what they don't have. And her vision and hope for those students...
DeleteI gained a lot of respect for her as an artist after reading this segment. I am constantly playing with the purpose of my artwork and questioning what exactly it is that I want to do with it and how. She has inspired me to think about the community around me (both Lubbock and Dallas/where I'm originally from). I don't want to make art just for me to look at or even just for money..
DeleteThe first two paragraphs of the Foreword hit me hard in the aspect of what the art world was like. Though nothing surprised me, as I know this is the characteristics of the art world, it was just that reading it was a shock and almost a relief. A relief that the truth of holding art accountable for it’s influence on society can be stated. As I read farther into the foreword I was inspired by Lily Yeh’s approach to art and how it should be used. In fact, it is what we should all strive to do as teacher. Bringing art into a community can bring joy like no other and that is what we should do as teachers. As stated in the foreword, it starts with the “irrepressible spirit of orphaned children” that “gives rebirth to the adults, to adult hope.” In other words, our work can inspire the children and then spread into the lives of their parents. Though we may not be dealing with a whole village that needs healing, there will be always be a child in our classroom that needs help and by art we can start to do that.
DeleteI really resonate with the idea that artists should be accountable for what their work does. I'm so tired of artists stepping on others to reach the top of the ladder to success. I am very interested and motivated to put a deeper meaning into my art, and to try to give back to my community.
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DeleteAccountability in art is very important, and it was encouraging to see someone writing about it. At this point in time it feels like accountability is being treated like a myth that can be opted out of, and I know some artists that want to pretend that art doesn't influence society, but to see someone take a collaborative and positive approach, to enable society to make art, was really interesting and refreshing. It changed how I think of 'teaching' art.
DeleteI see from this that she is known for what she does. She helped the village heal by art work. She is accountable for what she does, and she made so many people happy with it. She saw how to put back to that community and did what she could. Which i really respect her for that.
DeleteI love how the author uses "broken people in broken spaces" because she found what drives her art. It's easy to get caught up in the money or fame aspect of creating art, but unless there is meaning and purpose behind what we are doing as artists, then what is the point? As future art teachers, I think we can take away that we really can make a difference in the lives of children through art.
DeleteIn the foreword, it mentions the fact that we assume that art should just be and not do something. She used art to help these children "heal" in a way and, in the future, we should all try to do that. When I first started looking into being an art teacher, I wanted to teach at this specific home for at-risk children that has a public school on it's land. My mom worked as a therapist there for 17 years and she said they never had an art class but that she sometimes used art in therapy. It wasn't always elaborate because she couldn't use different mediums but the point is that art can do more than just "be". So we can utilize that idea in the future and try to be more deliberate than maybe those that taught us and pick some prompts or projects that can, in a way, heal.
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DeletePreface, p. 8
ReplyDeleteLily Yeh shares her reasons for writing this book on this one page. We will be reading about her participation in the Dandelion School Transformation Project. Any connections with this one page of reading as to why you might be wanting to become an art teacher yourself? What dreams do you have for yourself and others?
Post your answer here. We are going to learn about her methods for creating vision and hope in this school.
DeleteI loved her intentions and ideas she had about making changes to the school environment. How comfortable kids feel in their environment directly effects their motivation and connection to what they're learning. I believe we've talked quite a bit about this topic as a class from inviting couches, food, music, and creative stimulation into class discussion and how this increases a student's willingness to participate. She mentions making things more visually beautiful through color or creative design/projects. I stand behind this as I think it's important for kids to be intrigued and RELATE to their surroundings instead of feeling coldly confined, they can feel warm and invited. I absolutely plan to create the most comfortable and visually stimulating classroom for my future students. (And that doesn't mean poster after poster on the wall of the elements and principles ect.)
DeleteIn the Preface, Lily Yeh states how she came to be at the Dandelion School and what opportunities it presented her. When reading about how she wanted to make the Dandelion School a place of learning that was not like the confining buildings of Philadelphia, I was instantly connected. Ever since I was little, I wondered why schools looked so uninviting when it held some of the greatest adventures in the world for me. Looking back at my schools, my elementary had been decorated brightly on the inside but as I progressed to junior high and high school, I felt like I was in a prison. The only thing that brightened the school was the teachers themselves. They are what have inspired me to teach because even though the walls were bare for most, their personalities lit up the room. After visiting some of the schools here and shadowing Mrs. Holley, I believe that decorating a room does engage the kids more and help inspire them. I dream to have my walls decorated brightly the student’s and my art hanging side by side to inspire them to keep making art. I want to create an environment that feels safe and inviting so the art work and ideas of the children can grow freely without fear of being criticized.
DeleteThe reason I want to become an art teacher is because the thing I remembered the most about school was how much I loved art class, and how it saved me from the sludge pit of the rest of the school day. Middle school especially was miserable for me, and I want to be a teacher so I can help make school not as bad for kids.
DeleteHer reason for doing this is pure. She wants to help kids who do not have a place to learn. Because of where they where they had a elementary and a high school but not middle school to go to. Which made it very hard for them to continue education. She also wanted to engage the students by making the school beautiful so they want to go to class not dread it. To not be a prison
DeleteI love how she describes her intentions for the dandelion school. She explains that getting physically involved in ones community can really help everyone as a whole. Once the kids see that they are capable of turning something awful into a beautiful piece of art, they are more likely to be inspired to go on and create for themselves and their communities. Lily touched the lives of children, and as a future educate that is my main goal; show children how much creativity and talent they have.
DeleteHow Lily describes the schools of Philadelphia, reminds me of the schools I attended. They were not inviting and they didn't make me feel like I was in a fun place that I could learn. Of course school is about learning and that's not always going to be fun but as art teachers, we shouldn't let our rooms feel uninviting. If I happen to take anything away from my high school art teacher, I would take away the fact that she at least painted designs on the walls; it felt more fun and like I was in a creative space. Decorating your classroom can even become a learning experience for the students and I think they would feel even more comfortable there knowing they got a say in the way it looked and in the room they will spend a lot of time in.
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DeleteChapter 1: My Development as an Artist (pp.11-21)
ReplyDeleteYeh writes about her upbringing and training. She ended up in the US.Note how she found her way "home." She writes: "Looking back on my own journey, I realize that my intense interest in Chinese folk art had to do with my desire to understand myself as a Han person, to find my cultural and ethnic roots" (p. 18).
What are you taking away from this chapter about her training and upbringing? How does her story compare to your story?
On page 21 Yeh writes about when her "mature work" began. I don't really know when my mature work started, but it was probably when I was making something I wanted to make for myself. Not something I was told to make. This chapter reminds me of how I am heading back to my cultural and ethnic roots with my Worker Center idea in Milwaukee in some working class part of that city. Post your comments after mine.
DeleteI can relate when she talks about her stray from the style of her roots although they are never completely lost from her work. I didn't like to read that her previous teacher insulted her work of squares as "tiles" and downplays the beauty and value of her artwork. As a teacher, I think it's important to be a guide like bumper rails in a bowling alley. Aside from that, I can totally relate when she describes this journey to finding herself and discovering what it is she wants to do with her art career. I am in constant "battle" between who I used to be and who I want to be as an artist, teacher, and person in general. My roots will always be apart of me and effect how I teach because all I have to use is past experiences when it comes to how to interact with students in a classroom or how to be an artist and connect with the community. However there are changes amongst my memories, things I want to make different for others that I wish I could have made different for myself as a student at the time. Yeh is such a motivational person, reading about her changes and accomplishments gives me courage to do all I can to stay involved and make a difference in other's lives throughout the classroom and the community.
DeleteWhen I read the chapter I was surprised at how much she moved around because I am not sure how I would have handled the culture shock. However, I was very intrigued at first by her traditional training and how she never really made art herself but only through copying other’s works. It is interesting that she first started in her “roots” with the traditional Chinese landscape but then went back even farther into her roots with the Chinese folk art. It is like she was always constantly trying to find where she started while continuously moving, which could be seen as a contradiction. However, I believe this restlessness was a struggle to find herself, and when she began to see the Chinese Folk Art and the stories behind it, she knew that everything was starting to fall into place. On the outside my story is nothing like her’s but on the inside I believe I am struggling to find where I belong just like she did. I feel like her restlessness echoes in me, for I have a constant need to explore and travel. As for the art I do in graphic design, it is to help and appeal to others and not always necessarily myself. This way I feel as though I am constantly changing to fit their needs. I believe this may also be why I am called to be a teacher. I want to help others in a way that will make this world a better place just like graphic design. Graphic Design has such a huge impact on the world with people barely even recognizing it until something goes array (like the card mix up at the Oscars). As for my mature art I believe I am still trying to get there, for I am still struggling to find my home in the art world, but it will take time, just like it did for Lily Yeh.
DeleteI moved around quite a bit as a child, and I remember always struggling to become comfortable in new environments. One thing I did to make myself feel better was draw my pets. As I have grown, I have changed the focus of my work, both in subject and medium, but I believe that, at heart, I will always be that misplaced kid drawing her cats.
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DeleteWhen reading this I have no idea how she dealt with the moving around so much, and leaving what she knew as "home". Just going on vacation can make very home sick to the point where im miserable for the rest of the time. For me it has taken me a long time to find my roots in what i want I do in my art work. while reading this I have always questioned why i picked 3D and not 2D. Looking back as a kid jewelry always fascinated me on how something so beutiful can be made. Since I didnt have anything school related art until college. She did what she wanted and didnt take anyones ideas to accoplish what she wanted.
DeleteI think that every artist at some point in time has that "ah ha" moment. It could literally come during any moment of an artists life. It took lily many years of searching and moving, failing, and succeeding to find what her true passion was. I think once I graduate college I will be able to relate to her story a bit more. Right now, I am still discovering the different ways to make art and different skills and techniques I can use in my art pieces. we are all so young and are still discovering what we like and don't like. I feel like once i am out of college I will have more freedom to travel and figure out what drives me to be creative.
DeleteReading about Lily's upbringing and training in traditional Chinese art reminds me a little of myself. She was not exposed to other types of art in that time period of her life and that's how I feel I was experiencing art. I used the most basic of mediums through my art career in high school and wasn't exposed to modern artists. I was inspired by M.C. Escher and the reason being, I was told that he had hyperrealistic charcoal drawings and that's what I was trying to accomplish; therefore, that was that and I had found my "inspiration". She says it wasn't until she came to the U.S. that she saw experimental and explosive art and that's how I felt coming to college. I began following artists on Instagram and finding more and more inspiration through the halls of our schools (the annex, art building, and even the architecture building). Although I may not have time to create my own art at the moment, outside of school art assignments, I know that being exposed to new art forms alone has helped shape my own creativity. I think art is all about experimenting and learning new ways to create art in a way that we enjoy the process and the outcome. I hope I am able to instill the importance of those things to my students. Lily changed her style once she came to the U.S. and then went back to her roots and continued to evolve from there; I think that's great because we don't have to be set in one style or one way of making art and that's part of our duties as future art teachers to show children all kinds of ways to achieve their goals in their artwork.
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DeleteHow did your second week go in class? What happened? What are you doing in the classes? Also, please post the day/s and time/s when you are at your school.
ReplyDeleteAdd you experiences here under the question. Don't forget to post when you are there. If you are ever sick, I expect you to make up that time. Ed
DeleteI apologize I am extremely late on getting back to you on these responses. This week I am determined to get back on track!
DeleteMy second week in the classroom (Thursday 12:15-3:15 at Bowie elementary with Shannon Higginbotham) Everything was similar to the first week. They were still working on the same projects so I recognized them and their progress and was able to give good feedback. It was so sweet how they all remembered me and showed their excitement to see me and catch up. I get a lot of time to walk around and connect with each student, I try to give them each some sort of attention. Some bonds are being made as I talk to them 50% about their artwork and 50% about their life outside of school or who they are in general. One student experience hit me as she brought up how she is struggling with her parents getting a divorce :( this is a huge aspect of why I want to teach.. she wanted to be heard and said all of her hardships bravely with a smile on her face. I tried not to get her too off task from her project but took the time to comfort her and let her know that everything is going to be okay and that she is strong. My teaching style is very much based on connection and I understand that will be harder to do once I'm the one in charge of hundreds of students. This experience is something I will never forget, young kids struggle with more than I could handle sometimes and I hope I can spread positivity and guidance to students like this that need a shoulder to lean on sometimes.
My second day in class was more about learning how she grew to being the teacher she is today and classroom management. Mrs. Holley first started out as an elementary school teacher on a $50 dollar budget. The only way she was able to create art with the students was with the help of the supplies Future would give her. Some great advice from her was to always establish yourself in the community wherever you end up. Being only my second day there, I still could see how well her students obeyed her. I asked what her secret was and she told me that by learning each student’s name within the first week was the way to show them you cared. This year with so many kids she was not able to learn their names until about the second week. By learning their names so fast, she was giving respect to earn it in return. Later, I was super excited to learn she had a concentration in Graphic Design. This surprised me because she had great projects that were not like the graphic design I have experienced. I wondered how she found out to use watercolors on clay to create a stone effect for the gargoyles, and oil pastels with tempera paint to create a soft color with texture. Her knowledge for firing clay came from classes back in college but also the help of members in the community (back again to being into the community.) I then took a look at her lesson plans and saw the structure and required items that Irons gave for them to fill out. One of these requirements was how to integrate technology into the classroom. I was interested in how Mrs. Holley does that and it is through a digital portfolio at the end of the year composed with pictures taken of the work. I thought this was a great way to integrate technology and get an artist prepared for the real world.
DeleteSo far I have gone every Thursday from 10 am to 1 pm and have really enjoyed my time there. It is amazing how the paper mache is going and how much they progress with each week I go. The young artist month is here so they were getting submissions ready for it, as well as the show at Texas Tech. I made sure to go to First Friday and check out their artwork on display.
Today, (March 9, 2017, 10 am to 1 pm) was a crazy day due to projects being finished up and Mrs. Holley having to grade sketch books. It was great to she how she graded each person for their work. Since it was so busy, I helped out with the paint station for the first two periods. Today the beginners paper mache projects were due and it was amazing to see the final results on some. I truly enjoyed watching their progress each week. For those who were already finished, they helped Mrs. Holley cut out Prang barcodes (if you collect enough you get points for supplies)! In the Intermediate class I was amazed at how well the mask are coming along. Some are already looking exactly like their animal! I took a final peak at their gargoyles and they turned out amazing! I loved the ones who put metallic paint underneath and covered it in black so when it washed off you could see the shine coming through. During the intermediate class and the advance, Mrs. Holley and I have more time to talk (since they all are usually on task) about Junior Vase. Since submissions were due last night and she is one of the board members, she was exhausted because of last minute questions from other teachers. She showed me the submissions and how it all worked. We also talked about their field trip to Tech last week and the professors she got to see, one of them being my teacher (Dirk Fowler). Overall, it was great to see how fantastically she managed grading the sketch books, junior vase, and her kids all at the same time.
I have a question, are we just supposed to post the dates we go or are we supposed to be blogging about our experience each week?
I was at Overton on Monday the 5th from 2-3:20, and I sat with a table of kids learning about one point linear perspective. They were awesome and very open to instructions and suggestions and I feel like Ms. Harper is a very capable and outgoing teacher.
Delete(I was sick last Monday, she wasn't in class last Wednesday, and the day before yesterday I had to leave early)
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DeleteMy second day in class was different. Mazz was very sick from a medical conditions she has so I had to help her do paper work and learn how to sort different things. She had to leave to go home cause she was very sick so i ended up helping her class with the sub and having holley show me some stuff when I didnt have the answer.
Deletemy second week of classes was great! I meet with Noelle on Fridays from 8 am to 11am. I get to see 2nd grade, Kinder, Pre school, and 5th grade. I am lucky I get to see the different grade groups because each on is so incredibly different. Noelle is helping me come up with lesson plans for the weeks to come, so eventually I will actually get to teach! I am very excited.
DeleteI go to Evans Middle School from 1-4 on Monday's. My second time to visit, I got to see the outcome of their tape sculptures that the students started before I started visiting. They used packing tape to make 3D versions of themselves and Mrs. Thomas had them hanging in the hall. The beginning classes were the ones that made them and they seemed like they enjoyed it. She had to get onto them a few times because they were throwing them around the room and playing with them while she was trying to hand the projects back. I think that project was good for the age level of most of the students because it was so hands-on. Mrs. Thomas was planning a small project for the students for Friday since she will be going to watch her son play golf. She got one of the coaches to substitute and I thought it was interesting that she had to tell them to behave with him. It seems as if she would definitely need to say that if it was a stranger but to have to say that for somebody else within the school is different. She says her advanced class is always hyper and can get way out of line.
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